First World War
by DjTallon
Summary: The Fourth Ninja World War now far in the past, with the rise of the next generation, a new threat shows itself on the horizon. The death of a close ally, and the rise of a warlord. Will Naruto, now Hokage and leader of the allied shinobi nations, be able to settle the issue before a new, more sinister war breaks out, or will he face his toughest opponent yet.


First World War

Chapter 1

Sun burst through the uncovered window. It stretched across his room. Slowly but surely it inched up his bedside, reaching his awaiting eyes. Letting out a low groan, he brushed the annoying light away, as if he could make it disappear.

Shifting to the other side of his bed he narrowly escaped the natural alarm clock. "Five more minutes..." he was able to muffle out, face pushed neatly into his pillow. With sudden purpose, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. A terrifying thought dawned on him. "What time is it?" he questioned to himself.

Looking out toward his window, he made note of the sun's position in the sky. His eyes widened slowly, fear creeping it's way up his chest. "Crap, I'm going to be late!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. All but throwing his covers off of himself he sprang into action, running rampant around his room in search of clothing to wear. Deciding on a simple blue tee-shirt and the standard black cargo pants, he rushed himself to his bathroom on the end of his large room.

Steam rose from the shower head as he warmed the water. While waiting for the water to heat up, he readied his toiletries over his counter. Satisfied with the current temperature, he jumped into the shower. Water splashed from his lean trained body and off of the bathroom tile while he rushed himself to finish.

With everything said and done, he threw the door to his bedroom open, still halfway pulling his shirt over his head. Hair still soaked from the water, it splashed about, leaving a trail of his path through the long hallway.

He screeched to a stop however as he nearly ran into a small figure. The figure, a girl, rubbed her sleepy eyes with the long sleeve of her toad themed nightgown. The lavender haired youth looked up at the boy questioningly.

"Onii-tama?" she called out affectionately, the honorific slurred from her cutesy yawn.

The boy knelt down to the little girl with a bright smile splitting his face, almost forgetting his earlier haste. His frantic actions most likely awoke the child. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Good morning, Yuyu-chan. Did I wake you up?"

Yuyu nodded once, yawning again. "Goo' morning, Onii-tama."

The boy ruffled the little girls hair, causing her to giggle lightly. He picked her up, placing her over his shoulders before continuing on his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Oka-san!" The boy called as he placed his beloved little sister down in her booster chair at the dining table. His mother was in the kitchen which connected to the far end of the dining room he currently stood in. The sleeves of her multicolored kimono were tied down to her shoulders as she cooked breakfast over the open flame stove.

His mother turned to face him, a kind smile stretching across her face. While in her middle ages, his mother was still considered one of the most beautiful in Konoha. Her long lavender hair, much the same color as his sister's, framed her milky white skin perfectly, the very end of which was tied into a small ponytail. How his idiot of a father got so lucky he'd never understand.

"Good morning. You're a bit late, are you not?" she stated, more than asked. The boy faltered. He was more than aware of his mother's wrath, no matter how rare it may have been.

"I'm going now! Wish me luck!" He called, throwing the backpack waiting for him on his usual dining chair around his back and running toward the door.

He turned and jumped, catching the thrown piece of buttered toast out of the air with his mouth. "Not without breakfast!" he heard his mother call out behind him.

He pulled the door open, muttering something along the lines of; "thanks, Oka-san"; before bolting out the door.

His mother simply turned to her young daughter, hiding a giggle behind her hand. "Boys, right Yuyu-chan?" she directed to her daughter.

Yuyu smiled happily. "Yeah!" she exclaimed loudly, even though she didn't have any idea what her mother was talking about.

* * *

><p>The boy continued on his path through the village he knew and loved. Toast still hanging from his mouth, he erected many giggles from older members of the village. Though this was only because they were reminded of a certain brat who used to do the same thing.<p>

He smiled, munching lightly on his toast while he sprinted through the village. To speed things up, he jumped onto the wooden fence surrounding the road so as to not run into any unsuspecting villagers. The last thing he needed was to piss off another street vendor selling their crop on the side of the road. He did that once this week already.

Finally reaching his destination, he chewed down the last piece of toast left. Looking up at the position of the sun again, he sighed. Just in time. Maybe his sensei wouldn't chew his head off after all.

Walking towards the courtyard through the entryway, he grinned with pride at the large academy. After his father had taken power as the Hokage, the leader of this ninja village, he put a large emphases on training the young shinobi into fine soldiers. He extended the academy, creating more room for classes, giving way for more advanced classes for those who either needed extra help, or wanted a little more.

Just as he was to push the doors open and enter, he could hear a familiar voice call out behind him. "Itachi-kun!"

Itachi stopped in his tracks, turning his head on a swivel to look back at his close childhood friend. He stepped up to Itachi's side, patting him on the back rather roughly. Itachi skipped forward a step, still not used to his friend's rather impressive strength.

Itachi winced slightly, "Jeez Ken, you need to learn to hold back that monstrous strength of yours!" he called out in slight pain.

Ken just laughed it off, waving his hand back and forth, "How goes it, my youthful friend?"

Itachi straightened up and continued on his way through the academe doorways, Ken close behind. He scratched the inside of his ear, still ringing. Dealing with Ken on a day to day basis gave him horrible headaches. "I woke up a bit too late, so I hardly made it here on time. What about you? Aren't you usually on time?"

Ken bellowed with laughter, causing everyone in the hallways to stare at the two as they made their way to their classroom. "I was merely training with Otou-san to get ready for the big day! He had me running laps around Konoha and I lost track of time around the thirtieth lap!"

Itachi allowed himself to look impressed, albeit a bit disgusted. The level of training his long time partner-in-crime constantly performed was, to say the least, ridiculous. Though that's what you get for being the son of the legendary green beast of Konoha, Might Gai. Might Ken was every bit the copy of his father, not to mention his adoptive uncle, Rock Lee. Bowl-cut black hair, shining in all the wrong places. A green jumpsuit, the only contrast being his orange weights around his wrists and ankles.

Itachi sighed for the second time that morning, pulling his hands behind his head and relaxing slightly. His father's close friendship with the two craziest members of Konoha quickly led to his everlasting friendship with Ken, though he'd be the first to admit it caused him great strain at the best of times.

Nonetheless, he looked to Ken with a genuine smile on his face. "Are you ready for today, Ken?" he asked.

Ken had the modesty to look nervous, nodding his head. "I've dreamed of this day coming my entire life. To think that it's actually here..." the passionate boy trailed off slightly. Suddenly, he placed himself in a ready position, his face flaring up with heat and steam spewing from his ears and nose. He dropped to a pushup position, moving faster than Itachi could keep track of.

"I'm not ready!" he called out. "Ten, eleven, twelve...!" he yelled repeatedly as he performed his pushups. Perspiration began forming on his face. Most people had become disgusted by the scene, mostly the females of the school, and moved on to their own thing. "Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two!"

Itachi waved his hands in front of his friend, moving frantically. "Ken! Wait, Ken, come on! You're making a scene here!"

Ken stopped mid pushup. There was a long pause, before he jumped back up to his feet, a slight blush on his face as he chucked at his friend. "Sorry, Itachi-kun! I couldn't help myself! Pushups help clear my head."

Itachi turned away from him, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ken was going to give him gray hairs one day, and he was still only thirteen. "Let's just go before Iruka-sensei gets any more angry with us. We're almost there."

* * *

><p>Around the same time, in one of the tallest buildings of Konoha, the Hokage slumped over his desk full of paperwork. He laid his arms across the mahogany desk, sighing again in exasperation.<p>

It was still so early, and he already had a weeks worth of work piled up on his desk. When would it ever end? If he knew it'd be this boring, he'd never have wanted to become Hokage in the first place.

"Hard at work I see." a kind, female voice called out, followed by a giggle.

He knew the voice well. He didn't look up as he called out to her, one of his closest companions, "why do they do this to me? I wish I could just burn all of this."

She stepped over to her valiant leader, rubbing his back gently as she spoke softly to him. "You know you can't do that, Naruto-kun. The elders would be quite cross with you." Having known the Hokage since he was a young boy, she never felt it necessary to call him by his title. Nor did he ever enforce it. Especially when they were alone.

She served as his adviser, as she had to many Hokage in the past, starting with her aunt, Tsunade. When Naruto took office, he had insisted that she be his adviser as he knew of no better to help him run the village. Even though she was growing in years, she found it hard to resist the boy whom was close to her heart, and would not have it any other way. So she had agreed.

He tilted his head up from his desk, looking her in the eyes as he pleaded with her to make the paperwork go away. She giggled again. While he certainly matured over the years, well into his thirties and looking the part, he still acted like the same boy she met when he was just twelve. Still just a child's mind in an adults body.

Just like his grandmother, she had thought to herself. It was probably why he made such a great leader. And why she cared about him so deeply.

"Isn't Itachi-kun taking his Genin test today?" she asked him, cleverly taking his mind away from his paperwork.

Naruto's eyes instantly lit up at the mention of his beloved son, practically shooting up on his feet. He grabbed her hands, jumping up and down excitedly. "That's right! That's right! My little boy is going to be a shinobi!" he yelled out, laughing as he did.

She some how freed one of her hands from Naruto's grasp, wagging a finger in front of him, "He won't be a little boy much longer, Naruto-kun. You'll have to treat him like a soldier of the village now."

Naruto nodded his understanding. He let go of her hands, pacing his office. "He's growing up. Pretty soon he'll be with his own team, going on missions." Naruto looked up to the ceiling, as if in deep though. He had a far off look, though he seemed quite happy. He seemed to act this way whenever his children were mentioned. The mannerisms of a proud father, she supposed.

"Shizune!" he called suddenly, bringing her abruptly out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto walked back to his desk, sitting in his comfy office chair. Shizune sat in the couch across the way, already tiring from today's events. "Do you have the list of Jonin who wish to take on teams for this year?"

Shizune nodded, reaching to place a folder onto Naruto's desk. He picked it from his desk, holding it up in both hands as he flipped though. Each page had the dossier of prospective Jonin and a picture of them clipped to the top.

Quite a few names he knew showed on the pages. He hummed to himself as he read them, giving his own commentary to each name. "Hmm... Inuzuka Kiba, Kami help whatever team he's assigned with. Sai, that's surprising... Though I assume this is why he asked to be demoted to Jonin after he retired from the ANBU. Haruno Sakura, I saw that coming. Though I'm not sure if I'd rather be assigned to her or Kiba. Rock Lee, he'll be a good sensei. He'll probably chose whichever team Might Ken ends up on."

Naruto continued flipping through the names as Shizune watched. Eventually, he placed the file closed on top his desk. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Alright, I'll talk to them all when the Genin are chosen to decide which team are best."

Shizune nodded, smiling. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling deep inside that this new generation was going to be a large turning point for the ninja nation as a whole.

* * *

><p>Itachi sat in his usual spot toward the middle of the left section. Ken sat next to him, grinning ear to ear. Itachi couldn't help but sport a large grin himself. The two had been the last to class of course, erecting a berating from their sensei, but it wasn't anything new to them. Itachi felt the eyes follow him through the classroom. He wasn't unaware of his fellow classmates observing him regularly. The two were special cases. Ken was... Ken, but Itachi was the son of the Hokage, and the next in line to be head of the near dead Uzumaki clan.<p>

In their sensei's history lessons about the Fourth Shinobi War, the one he knew his father had a large roll in, they were told that his father's family origin was made known to everyone. To be the last of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, the Uzumaki at least being a prominent noble clan during the making of Konoha, the people grew to respect his father as more than just a hero, but as a noble. After it was said and done, his father decided to take on the name of his mother's clan, as he was most used to being known as Uzumaki Naruto, and took over the family compound. It's where they lived now. And with Itachi being Naruto's eldest son, he was next in line to be the head.

He wasn't too worried about it though. His father was tough. It would take a long time before his old man kicked the bucket. Still though, it did cause him a bit of stress at times. Especially the diplomacy training. His mother had helped with that. His father was practically hopeless.

He was brought to attention by his sensei, Iruka, calling out to the class. It was well known that Iruka was skilled enough to push himself further down the ranks of a shinobi, however according to his father Iruka loved children and stayed at Chunin rank so that he could continue to be a sensei at the academy. However his love for his work didn't stop him from losing his temper more than once.

Itachi scratched his cheek, listening intently to Iruka as he explained how their Genin exam was going to play out. They'd have a written exam, followed by a practical exam. Both would be attended by one of the sensei's, to assess each applicant.

* * *

><p>At the far end of the class, a bored looking girl leaned her elbow against her desk, resting her chin against her hand. She yawned curtly, scanning the classroom with her trained eyes. Far enough in the back, she wouldn't be noticed by this room's sensei, but she made sure to be close enough to be able to spy on Itachi. Her eyes quickly darted to where he sat, looking him over.<p>

He was an odd boy. She had noticed him a few years ago, as she was training in one of the public grounds. One famous as to where her idol, Haruno Sakura, got her start as a shinobi with her team, the traitor Uchiha Sasuke and Itachi's father, Uzumaki Naruto. While she was practicing her taijutsu on one of the posts, Itachi had walked across the bridge. He had told her that he noticed her a while ago, training in his favorite grounds, and she looked exhausted from the blaring summer heat. He had offered her a popsicle, one of the two he brought with him.

It wasn't his odd act of caring for her, or his mannerisms that intrigued her. It was his smile, as he handed her the ice cream treat. It was one that spoke of kindness, innocence, and compassion.

She had wondered that day, how someone who was born into a world such as this, where children were bred into soldiers and made to fight on the front lines in times of war, that he was able to smile this way. She had never seen anyone with a smile of that caliber.

It made her want to see it more and more, so that maybe, some day, she'd be able to smile just like him. So she took to watching him, which eventually lead to following him. She couldn't get the smile of that time out of her head. It started as a thing of interest, and began to form into something else. Adoration? She wasn't sure.

She had never made to speak with him again, and even took to avoiding him through the halls. Only once had they bumped into each other. She had knocked him over, but even then she didn't extend a hand to help. She merely stared at him, for what seemed like minutes, before continuing on her way.

Itachi never spoke to her again after that Summer day. She found it caused her a bit of... anxiousness? Hurt? But she could make it through the distance as long as she got to observe that smile. Her chest felt like it tightened every time she did.

She sighed, tapping her fingers repeatedly on the desk. She turned her attention back on the classroom. He would most likely never speak with her again. After they made Genin, they would be placed on separate teams, and they would never see each other. And she was okay with that. Or, she had hoped she would be.

* * *

><p>Itachi hid his face behind his hand, looking over to the wall closest to him. He was sweating profusely, causing his friend Ken to look over at him in concern.<p>

"What's wrong, Itachi-kun?" he whispered to the other boy.

"She's staring again! That weird girl that keeps watching me!" Itachi distressed.

"Oh, that Yamato Ueda-san? She's always so gloomy... I must show her the springtime of youth!" Ken called out happily, a little too loudly. Many of the students behind them shushed Ken, glaring at him.

Itachi sighed yet again today, "I don't really want to know what that entails, Ken..."

Iruka had finally begun passing out the written test for the exam, after his long-winded speech that seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Itachi looked down at the paper packet in front of him. He grinned, pushing up his sleeve as he readied himself. Here goes; he thought to himself; my beginning to my shinobi career. Be proud, Tou-san!

* * *

><p>Naruto walked down the streets of his village. Through some method or another, he had completed the necessary amount of paperwork he would need for today, and decided to take a quick stroll. It was early in the afternoon, about time for Itachi and the rest of the academe students to finish their graduation. He was excited to hear the news of how his son performed, but first he would be visiting an old time friend he hadn't seen in a while.<p>

Stepping up to the modest sized home, he rapped thrice on the door, stepping slightly and waiting for any answer.

"Come in," was the lazy reply he heard from inside. Naruto grasped the handle tightly, opening the door. He stepped inside, noting the neatly dusted furniture and the clean air.

She's my adviser and she still has time to do all this, was his first thought. He knew his lazy sensei wasn't likely helping with any of it.

Naruto turned his head to his sensei, sitting on a comfy-looking leather chair, open book in hand. While home, it seemed the old ninja didn't feel it necessary to wear his face mask, and was promptly showing off his whole face.

Kakashi didn't so much as look toward Naruto before addressing him, "Hello, Naruto. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Naruto made his way over to the living room in which Kakashi seemed to spend most his time, reading his beloved novels. Naruto leaned his elbows onto his knees, his hands clenched into a fist to support his head. "I just thought I'd come and visit, see how you were doing. Jeez, is that another gray hair, sensei? You're looking older and older by the day!" a little joke Naruto liked to play with his sensei, as his hair was already pure white from birth.

"That joke is funnier every time you say it, Naruto." Kakashi said with the utmost amount of sarcasm. "It seems you're getting older as well. Is that a gray hair I see?"

Naruto frantically brushed his hands through his hair, fear evident on his face. "Where, where?" he shouted. "It's all this paperwork, I tell you. I'm drowned in it every day, those damn elders..." tears now streamed from Naruto's face.

It was clear that Naruto had matured over the years. The work of the Hokage was no small task. It definitely had it's toll on Naruto's features. Small wrinkles began to form on his forehead and under his eyes, and minor, almost unnoticeable laugh lines stretched from his nose. Naruto grew his hair out like his father, thick blonde locks framing his face nicely. He sported a beard now, dirty blonde stubble covering his chin and upper lip. It gave him a more rugged appearance, contrast to his famous childish behavior.

He was well built, a body made from a life of hard training. And he kept up that training daily, whenever he had the chance. Currently he wore his civilian clothes, a leather jacket, the main body a dark orange while the cloth sleeves were colored black. White fur covered the black cloth hood. It was unzipped, pulled over a plain orange tee-shirt that hugged his body. Standard black pants covered his legs to his shoes. Black running shoes, with orange laces.

Naruto returned to his original position, leaning forward and watching his sensei as he put down his book, laying it gently on the glass coffee table. Kakashi leaned back in his chair, sighing. "I know all too well about the troublesome paperwork that comes with being Hokage, Naruto."

Immediately following the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tsunade had retired from being the Hokage, favoring a life of running the village hospital. Kakashi was to take her place, as acting Hokage, while Naruto was trained for the role. After all, he had never been in any position of leadership, other than his role in the war. Kakashi ran the village during the recovery while Naruto's new skills were honed and he learned how to run an entire village. In everyone's eyes, as acting Hokage, Kakashi had done an excellent job, but as the time came, he retired the position to Naruto. The starting year was made easy, as Kakashi had already done most of the recovery work, near all. Naruto was able to focus on the people, and became well loved among his village. Something that made his old sensei quite proud.

During his reign, Shizune continued her position as adviser for Kakashi, which caused the two to become very close. They married soon after, which was one of Kakashi's main reasons for stepping down.

"Otou-sama, I've returned from my mission... Ah! Naruto-sensei!" a young man called out as he walked through the front door. He wore the standard Jonin uniform of Konoha, with the addition of a face mask, much like his father, Kakashi, and long sleeves like his mother, Shizune. The man looked to Naruto, giving a keen eye-smile. "Hello, Naruto-sensei."

Naruto held up a hand in greeting, smiling at his student, "hello, Obito-kun."

After the war, with Kakashi in office, he and Naruto had made sure that Uchiha Obito was remembered for his actions in the war. He was made to be a hero of Konoha, a man who died fighting for his ideals. As such, young Obito was named after his father's lost friend. How he got Shizune to agree, Naruto would never know.

It was much the same as how Naruto named his first born child, Itachi. With the end of the Uchiha clan, after Sasuke's death, the story of Uchiha Itachi was made known. His sacrifice for the village great, everyone's respect of the young genius was renewed. Thus, Itachi and Obito were named after two heroes of the village. Something they seemed to be quite proud of.

"What brings you here, Naruto-sensei?" the young man questioned. Obito was twenty now, a newly made Jonin. Naruto recalled seeing his name on the list of prospective Jonin teachers for the Genin, but the positions would most likely go to the more experience Jonin. He would have to wait for next year.

"Just catching up with this old wolf," Naruto pushed himself from his seat, walking over to the doorway where Obito stood. He whistled, looking him up and down. "You've grown Obito. I remember when you were just a little brat."

Obito grinned at his sensei from behind his mask. "Please Naruto-sensei, you still are." Kakashi couldn't help his laughter at his son's insult.

Naruto coughed uncomfortably, covering his mouth. "Yes well, I may have overstayed my welcome." He patted Obito on the shoulder as he made to walk out the door. "Get the team together sometime, we can go out to that new BBQ place that just opened up."

"Yes, Naruto-sensei!" Obito called out happily. Naruto simply raised his hand over his shoulder as he slowly disappeared in Konoha's busy street.

* * *

><p>Itachi walked up to the desk where his sensei, Iruka, and the other academe teachers stood. He looked up at Iruka, excitement clear in his eyes. Iruka looked down at his young charge, being reminded of a certain knuckle-headed blonde many years ago.<p>

Grabbing a headband from the table, he held it out to the newly initiated Genin. "Congratulations, Itachi-kun. You passed."

Itachi nearly ripped the headband from Iruka's hands, hopping up and down in joy. "I did it! I'm a shinobi! Believe it!"

A twitch appeared on the side of Iruka's head. It was a long time since he heard that catch phrase. It still made his head pound. "Yes, yes. You should hurry home, I'm sure your mother and father will wish to know how you did. Congratulations again. I'm proud of you."

Already rushing out the door, Itachi waved his hand behind him at Iruka, his smile stretching across his face. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" he called out as he left.

"Report back here at 0800 sharp for Genin assignments!" Iruka called out to Itachi's retreating form, hoping he could hear. He sighed, sitting back down in his chair. Today was a long day. A good day, but a long one.

As Itachi ran down the hallway, excited to report his day to his parents, he passed by a certain young female shinobi already wearing her headband. She watched him pass by, focused intently on the expression on his face. His smile.

Her body shook slightly in excitement, and her cheeks heated up. A blush formed over the bridge of her nose, her eyes half lidded, she brought her hands up to her chest. "I saw it, Itachi's smile..." Her breathing became heavy as she felt her chest tighten up again, her mouth twitching up slightly in a grin of her own.

* * *

><p>Itachi practically bust open the doors to his compound, running straight inside.<p>

"Woah there!" his father called out as he caught him, twirling him around in the air before setting him down gently in the dinning room across from the entrance way.

Naruto looked down at his son, a look of pride forming on his face. He placed his hands down on the boy's shoulders, "I take it by your entrance that things went well, son?"

Hinata giggled from her place at the dinning table, Yuyu sat peacefully in her lap, playing with her gama-chan doll. She grew with an obsession of toads, no doubt an influence from her father. Hinata, to say the least, was not too happy.

Itachi held up his new headband with pride, showing it off to his father, "look, Otou-san! I did it! I'm a Genin!"

Naruto smiled down at his son. A genuine smile. Naruto remembered the day he finally got his first headband, after the long trial and his encounter with Mizuki. He grabbed his son again, lifting him up in the air. "That's my boy. I'm so proud of you son."

Itachi, knowing he did well, shared a smile with Naruto, wrapping his arms tightly around his father's neck. "Thanks, Otou-san."

The two hugging for some time, Naruto finally set Itachi down. He turned him around and patted him on the back. "Now, go show your mother."

Itachi happily made his way to his mother and little sister, holding his headband out to them as well. "See, Oka-san?" he called out to her excitedly.

"I do!" she exclaimed, her tone showing she was just as proud as her husband. "Why, this calls for a celebration, doesn't it?" she looked up to her husband, smiling at him.

Itachi and Yuyu both waited on bated breaths, looking up to their father. Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing, "of course it does!"

Itachi jumped with joy yet again, while Yuyu held up her hands and smiled, "yay, celebate!" she called out, still unable to pronounce her 'r's.

Naruto walked over to his loving family. Things were rough after the war, his final battle with Sasuke, and the recovery of the village. But the love he found in his wife, and the family that she gave him, made all of his previous pain, the loss of his closest friends, wash away. They were what pushed him forward, what gave him a purpose to keep on fighting, and he would never let anything take that light away.

* * *

><p>It was another early morning in Konoha. Naruto shifted in his bed. An arm was wrapped around his waist tightly, and something warm was pressed against his back. He smiled, knowing exactly who it was. Grabbing the hand of his wife, he lifted her arm slightly so he could turn and face her, placing it back around his neck.<p>

She groaned awake from the sudden movement of the bed, pulling tightly on Naruto's neck and nuzzling her nose deep into his neck. "Good morning, Naruto-kun" she called out to him. She still referred to him as she did in the academy days. A cute gesture of affection to remind them of past times.

Naruto wrapped his arms lovingly around his wife. She brought a leg up, wrapping it around his waist. Looking up, she met his gaze. She had bedhead, her bangs flopping to the side and covering her face. She smiled cutely, nuzzling her nose into his.

"Good morning, love" he leaned in to press his lips gently to hers.

She moaned lightly as his lips moved away, "can I wake up like this every morning?"

Naruto didn't respond. He only smiled coyly as he pressed his lips against hers again, this time holding it there longer. He pulled away again, his eyes looking deep into his wife's. "You know, it's Saturday, today. I don't have to go into the office, you don't have any clan activities today, Itachi-kun is going to be busy with Genin assignments, and Obito-kun is back in town. If we can get him to watch Yuyu-chan, then you and I," Naruto shifted positions to be above his wife, pinning her arms to either side of her head. She gasped slightly at the movement, still half asleep. "Would have the house to ourselves" he said in a low voice, finishing his earlier thought.

Hinata's mouth twitched up in a shy grin, her face already heating up from the close exchange. Even with the years they spent as husband and wife, Naruto could still bring out her shy nature, especially when he was trying. She let out a meek moan, playfully resisting under her husbands strong grip.

"Oh my, is the great Hokage going to show little me how he conquered his enemies in the war?" she bit her lip, ushering Naruto to move closer to her.

Naruto grinned almost sadistic, already feeling the affects of his wife's seduction. As he began to make his move down onto Hinata, his promised get away was interrupted by an annoying pounding at the door, followed by the call of, "Hokage-sama!"

Naruto sighed, pushing himself off of his wife and their comfy bed. Hinata sat up as well, pulling the straps of her nightgown back up her shoulders, which had slipped down during Naruto's rough housing. She rubbed her husbands back gently, ushering him up. "You should see to that, Naruto-kun" she said, her playful mood now gone, and her professional nature back.

Naruto gave one look to his wife before standing up from the bed. He changed quickly, merely throwing on a plain shirt and some pants, much like his son had done the day previously. He left their private bedroom, closing the door to give Hinata the privacy to get ready before making his way to his home's entrance.

The pounding came again, along with the same hastened call of, "Hokage-sama! Please!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Naruto called out in annoyance. These people always came at the worst possible times. It was a wonder how he was able to have any fun at all.

Opening the door, Naruto was faced with a messenger of Konoha. A Chunin by the look of it. Ninja specialized in speed and chakra control, so that they can carry messages quickly across the village. They were useful during war, when carrier birds were expected by the enemy. The messenger ninjas could slip through undetected by masking their presence better than the animals. Naruto rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes, staring down the poor, meek messenger. The boy was all too aware that he disturbed his leader's sleep, maybe even more.

"What is it?" Naruto called out in annoyance.

"I... My apologies Hokage-sama, but there's an urgent message for you! You're needed at your office right away! Shizune-sama, and the elders await you!" the messenger explained. He fiddled nervously with his messenger bag.

Naruto scratched the side of his head. Hinata, now ready and dressed appropriately, stepped up to his side. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned to his wife, "it seems I'm needed at the office. Big surprise there. I wonder what it is this time?" He questioned to himself. Leaning forward, he pecked his wife lightly on the lips once more, "sorry, love. We can have our romantic getaway when I return."

Hinata smiled kindly to her husband, "It's alright, Naruto-kun. I await patiently for your return."

Naruto waved goodbye to his wife as he followed the messenger ninja who immediately took off, not wanting to stay any longer and incur more of the Hokage's wrath.

* * *

><p>Naruto arrived quickly to the office, pushing open the double doors dramatically. Stepping inside, he shut them behind him.<p>

"Where have you been, Hokage-sama?" one of the elder's bellowed.

"This is serious business and you're missing!" the other all but accused Naruto.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked to his desk, his hair still a mess from being awoken early. Though, his hair was always a mess. "My son graduated last night. We celebrated. My wife and I drank. And I was awoken early this morning after trying to woo my wife. Does that answer your question, elder?" Naruto explained, pointing out the elder that asked where he'd been.

Said elder fumed at the lack of tact his leader showed. "Please, Hokage-sama, in this situation-" he was about to start, but was cut short by the adviser, Shizune.

"Hokage-sama," Naruto sobered up now. It wasn't often that Shizune referred to him by his title. Only when it was urgent. He sat in his chair, giving his full attention to her. Realizing so, Shizune continued, "there is critical news from the Land of Iron."

The Land of Iron, once a great neutral nation, they never once engaged in any ninja war, until the Fourth. The land was run and protected by samurai, and it's leader was the great Mifune, a powerful samurai that once stood alone against Hattori Hanzo. Naruto had great respect for the man.

"What's happened?" he pushed his adviser for answers, anxiousness now clutching at his throat. Had something happened to Mifune?

Shizune looked grim as she read the report in her hand. The elders seemed to mirror her emotions. "Hokage-sama... It seems that Mifune has passed."

Naruto's eyes widened. It couldn't be, could it? The man was getting old... very old, but he was just as vigorous as Hiruzen had been. Still fighting, just as hard as he did in the war.

"There's more, Hokage-sama" one of the elders spoke now. Naruto turned to her, waiting to hear any and all news of the incident. "While the likely possibility that Mifune-sama passed due to his old age. There has been some... speculation."

Naruto stared at the elder as she let her sentence trail off. His eyebrow raised as he leaned forward in his seat. "Speculation?" he questioned.

Shizune nodded, shifting her reports. She placed them down on Naruto's desk gently, stepping back so that he could look them over. "As you know, there's been a power struggle as of recent in the Land of Iron. Samurai fighting over whom would take over after Mifune passed. Considering he had no heir, it was anyone's guess who would take over. We received reports from samurai loyal to Mifune and the alliance of shinobi. There's a possibility that Mifune was... assassinated."

Naruto leaned back in his chair. He suddenly felt years older, as a weight pressed heavily on his shoulders. He hated this part of his job. Mifune, assassinated. The Land of Iron was considered neutral ground, and there was a law that no ninja may meddle in the affairs of the land. Assassination wasn't the way of the samurai. If Mifune really was assassinated, it'd be the work of a ninja. If that turned out to be true, it would rock the foundation of trust the samurai and ninja shared as brothers in arms.

"Has a successor been chosen?" Naruto brushed his hand through his hair as he asked the next important question. Shizune nodded in response.

"They have. Apparently he was a trusted commander of Mifune's army during the war. Mifune's disciple, if I'm told correctly. He's sent forth a message. He wishes for you to appear in the Land of Iron in the next few days, for Mifune's funeral. He stated his master would be honored by your attendance, and that you can bring as many with you as you pleased."

Naruto swiveled in his chair, looking out of the office's windows over his village. He would like nothing more than to honor the old samurai, as they had fought and bled together. However, something about this new ruler sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't quite place it. But if Mifune really was assassinated, if not to honor him at his funeral, Naruto would have to go for diplomacy, to ensure that they brotherhood between the samurai and the ninja would not shatter. The last thing Naruto wanted was a war against the samurai.

He swiveled back, facing the three others in the room. He leaned forward on his desk, head in his hands, not looking toward anyone in particular. "Very well," he spoke, "Shizune, send word to Sarutobi Konohamaru, and the Jonin Commander Nara Shikamaru. I, along with you and those two will be heading immediately to the Land of Iron, to meet with this new ruler."

Shizune nodded once in understanding, "yes, Hokage-sama!" As she was about to leave, Naruto held his hand out to her, stopping her in her tracks.

"This new leader of the Land of Iron," Naruto looked up at Shizune. "What's his name?"

Shizune turned her body back toward Naruto. She stood at attention, staring straight back at him.

"Oda Nobunaga."

* * *

><p>And that's it for this chapter.<p>

I do hope you all enjoyed this. It's been such a long time since I ever uploaded anything like this. I had the urge one day to write more, and this first chapter was to see if I could be able to continue. Please let me know your thoughts. No matter what they are. It's your opinions, good and bad, that keep me going as a writer.

You can expect more to come in the week. For now, I sleep. I'm tired. Goodnight everyone, see you in the next chapter, I hope.


End file.
